Interesting observation from The Detroit News: of the 20 players who wore the winged wheel last weekend, eight weren't with Detroit at the start of last season. That number's likely to escalate to nine now that a strained knee has blueliner Niklas Kronwall shelved for four-to-six weeks. It's a credit to the steady hand of Mike Babcock that the Wings have managed to tread water, let alone win seven of 10.

But the Wings' recent performances dinged their standings in the lists of Sportsline's Wes Goldstein...

November 24, Sportsline: 13. Red Wings [last week] 9: Detroit's offense ranks seventh, but the numbers are deceiving because 19 goals came in three games. The Wings have scored two or fewer nine times.

Special teams play — or lack thereof — caused the Red Wings' three-game winning streak to come to a halt in Week 8. Detroit gave up two power-play goals to Dallas and failed to score on four power-play chances of their own in the 3-2 streak-stopping loss to the Stars. The club also lost another body to injury last week, as defenseman Niklas Kronwall will be out of action for at least a month with an injured left knee.

On NHL.com, Paul Kukla argues that the Wings and their fans can expect to grind out wins--and losses--minus their free agency-induced losses and injured players...

November 24, NHL.com: Not knowing how your team will perform on any given night is
nerve-wracking and, at times, just plain depressing. As a fan of the
Wings, I expected a win every single night they took the ice. Now, all
I am looking forward to is a complete game played by every player,
which will give them a slight edge and hopefully one more 'W' in the
left column.

Yes, I am counting wins, counting points, looking at the teams the
Wings may be competing against for a playoff position. I now feel like
a fan of any other team, squirming as I watch my team play, knowing
every point counts and calculating a number that will assure it a
playoff position.

I have to admit, it is tough, but I have been there before. I've been a Wings fan for almost 50 years and I have seen it all. I've
witnessed the highest highs and the lowest lows and I look at this year
as a growing experience. Sometimes it is good for the body and mind to
go through what us Detroit fans will be facing this season.

Some of you may be laughing at me right about now; some may be
muttering phrases like "It is about time, the Wings have been on a high
horse for a long time, good to see them get knocked down a peg or two."
Others may be jumping for joy, knowing the Wings are on a down slope --
at least for this season.

I understand all of those feelings, but it is still hard for me to
take. You see, when you have been to a place where not many have been
and you enjoy it, you want to stay there for as long as possible and
don't want anyone else to discover it.

But, maybe, it is time to let others in, to allow them to experience what Wings fans have in the past two decades. But be forewarned, it is not all good. Your expectations will make the
losses even more unbearable, your high hopes may turn into depressing
days, sleepless nights and long summers. I know, I've been there and
maybe others should be, too.

I don't know how else to put it: maybe it's stubbornness or plain old Wings fan arrogance, but I believe that the Wings will manage to build a team that can, at the very least, win the Central Division and finish in the top half of the Western Conference's standings by the end of the season. The Wings have to grind out wings like never before, and they certainly have to "grind out" wins without Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Valtteri Filppula, and Jason Williams, but this team will come together, the younger players will find their stride, and the Wings' winning percentage will creep back up toward the 70% range, where he's laid for the vast majority of the last 20 years.

I don't think they've got much of a chance to win the Western Conference this season, but I still see them finishing in 3rd or 4th place due to a second-half-of-the-season push.